A Pirate Queen & Her Crown
by queenofomega
Summary: Hawke and Merrill spend a day together and return with a silly gift for Isabela. Every pirate queen must have her crown, even if it's only made of flowers. Fem!Hawke/Isabela fluff with some adorable Merrill friendship as well.


Rosalyn Hawke had a goofy smile on her face the moment she passed over the threshold and walked into the Hanged Man. That alone was enough to pique a certain pirate's curiosity, but the object on her head only added to Isabela's intrigue. The pirate arched an eyebrow in question but Hawke's grin was firmly plastered on her face and the Champion obviously had no intention of letting any hint of what she was up to escape before she reached the table at the opposite side of the tavern. Merrill wandered in next to Hawke, a dreamy smile playing on her lips and an overall content expression upon her dainty face. Those two had definitely been up to something.

Earlier that day, Hawke had decided that an outing with Merrill was long overdue. She arrived at the elf's home unexpectedly but much to Merrill's excitement. The Dalish elf almost immediately began apologising about the state of her home ('This place is always so untidy... I never expect guests, I suppose, but that shouldn't excuse being such a bad host... Oh I'm sorry, I'm sure there's somewhere for you to sit, Hawke, just a moment...') but Hawke put a gentle stop to it when she announced that they were going out.

Merrill's head tilted to the side inquisitively. Hawke had come alone — had she come looking for just Merrill or were they picking up the others too? 'Where are we going, Hawke? Is somewhere nice? Or is it a surprise? I don't mind surprises as long as they're the nice kind of surprises. Although with you it can be sometimes hard to tell. Are we going to be doing any fighting? I should get my things, just in case. We always seem to run into trouble these days when you're around. Oh, now where did I put my…' And she was off, gathering her belongings just in case Hawke's visit would indeed lead to trouble even though it was intended for pleasure.

Hawke had taken Merrill just outside of Kirkwall — to a large, open field filled with flowers. Varric had occasionally made a subtle comment or two about Hightown gardens that were missing some of their blossoms. Hawke always chuckled in response; they both knew it was Merrill, trying to find ways to brighten up her friends' homes, unintentionally at the expense of some noblewoman's landscaping efforts. So this time Hawke decided to bring the elf somewhere where no one would mind a missing flower... or a several dozen. There were plenty here.

Upon their arrival, Merrill's eyes widened and she let out a small squeak of delight. 'Oh, Hawke, this place is so beautiful! Thank you for bringing me here! I know exactly what I should do! Varric said the flowers I brought him last week were starting to wilt. I think his room needs more colour. It's so dark, almost like a cave. Well, he is a dwarf so I suppose that makes some sense, doesn't it? But Varric has always lived here on the surface with us. Still, what do you think, Hawke? We could brighten his room up a bit, couldn't we?'

So Merrill had run off into the field of wildflowers, much to Hawke's amusement. Varric would later retell the story and make sure to add an embellishment or two — one specifically painting the image of a certain elf frolicking through a field of daisies. Hawke wandered through the field, enjoying the sun on her face and a slight breeze tousling her dark auburn hair. It was peaceful... and quiet for once. The din of the city could still be heard nearby but for once Hawke's ears weren't ringing with the sounds of clashing metals or the battle cries of both her companions and enemies. When she had turned around to find Merrill again, however, there had been a brief moment of panic when the Dalish elf had vanished from sight. But then Hawke spotted her — or, at least, the place in the field where someone had decided to part the flowers and sit down. Hawke found Merrill hunched over crossed legs, her fingers busy and obscured by the elf's small frame. Next to her was a small pile of flowers already plucked from the ground.

'You know, I don't think I've ever seen someone so intently focused on... whatever it is you're doing, Merrill,' Hawke had stated, the joke that was right on the tip of her tongue lost as her interest in what Merrill was doing distracted her. Hawke sat down in front of the elf, crossing her legs as well.

Merrill didn't respond for a moment, then looked up at Hawke with those big green eyes of hers and presented the warrior with her work once she had tied off a final knot. Flowers had been intricately woven together to form a circlet of delicate petals. Hawke grinned. 'Merrill, this is beautiful.' She could have sworn she saw the elf blush just then.

'Oh, it's just something I learned back when I lived with the clan. Keeper Marethari taught me how to make them. She taught me many things, of course..' And Merrill babbled on for a little while about her time with the Dalish clan with Hawke listening intently to every word. For a moment the elf seemed pensive and a little bit sad after talking about her lost clan. But she brushed a stray lock of dark hair from her eyes and pulled another flower from her pile.

'It's a gift... for you, Hawke. You have such pretty hair and you always tie it back. You should do something different for a change. If you want to that is,' Merrill added, as if she was worried she might have offended the warrior in some way.

'Hm, a little change couldn't hurt. Thank you, Merrill.' Hawke untied the thick piece of twine she used to keep her shoulder-length hair away from her face, and tugged it until her hair was free and tickled the back of her neck. Then she placed the flower crown upon her head and looked to Merrill for approval.

The elf clapped her hands together in delight. 'Oh, it looks so wonderful on you! Hm, let's see. I could make one for Isabela too! Do you think she'd like it? She'd look so nice. Then again, Isabela always looks nice. I suppose I don't need to tell you that though, do I, Hawke?' The warrior had laughed and nodded. Isabela was certainly many things that Hawke adored. And Merrill knew that was where the warrior's affections lay.

'I'll make one for Isabela too. What should I bring the others?' And the elf had busied herself once more, carefully making her gift for the pirate, while Hawke watched and tried to copy Merrill with no success.

That gift was now held behind the Champion's back as she approached where Isabela sat, a drink in front of her and a deck of cards close at hand.

'Trying a new look, Hawke?' the pirate stated with a small smirk. 'Merrill's work, I see.' It was quite obvious really — Merrill wore her own large crown of flowers, held up only by her long, pointed ears or else it probably would have fallen into her eyes by now. And she was already sitting next to Varric, telling him all about her afternoon with Hawke — loudly enough for Isabela to overhear, apparently, even above the noisy chatter of other patrons.

'So, are you going to show me what's behind your back?' Isabela questioned, nodding pointedly toward Hawke's hidden hands, pulling the warrior's gaze away from her other friends and back to the pirate. Hawke then began grinning again and Isabela had to force herself to keep a serious face. _Damn Hawke_, always knowing just how to tease her and get the upper hand. She knew exactly what the pirate couldn't resist — that silly smile being one of those things and it often left Isabela rather bemused.

Hawke practically danced up to her, then swerved at the last minute so she was behind the pirate, displaying an impressive amount of dexterity even for someone who still could not rival present company. Isabela felt that something was dropped onto her head unceremoniously and then there was a loud guffaw from Varric across the table.

'Now there's a different look for you, Rivaini. Don't think this isn't going to find its way into one of my stories someday,' he chuckled, patting Merrill on the shoulder for a job well done.

'Hawke, is that what I think it is?'

Hawke had to hold back a giggle. Isabela's expression was priceless — she looked rather surprised to find herself with a crown of flowers upon her head, much like deer caught in the torchlight for a brief moment. Perhaps she was even a bit conflicted about it but her face softened when Merrill caught a glimpse of the now floral pirate. Everyone knew she had a soft spot for the elf, one she didn't try to conceal.

'You look so pretty, Isabela! I knew you would. Hawke thought so too, didn't you, Hawke? Well, Hawke always thinks you look pretty but you probably know that already. Oh, I'm rambling again, aren't I? Do you like it though? I could make you another! Perhaps blue to match your scarf. Does anyone know where to find some blue flowers?'

Isabela laughed and leaned backwards into Hawke slightly. 'It's wonderful, Kitten. But I think one is enough. Hawke seems to like hers a lot though. I'm sure it will make the newest addition to her armor.' Another smirk.

Hawke only just saw the other woman's expression and gently swatted the back of the pirate's shoulder. She leaned forward and rested her forearms on the back of Isabela's chair, with the weight of the other woman pressing against them. It was as intimate a gesture as the warrior got in front of the others so far, ever since Isabela admitted that their relationship wasn't exactly emotionless after all, but it was a comfortable start. That was not to say Isabela was never right in Hawke's personal space. That was something the pirate had no issue with and Hawke more than welcomed it. But there was a distinct difference between the subtle displays of affection and Isabela's usual blatant demeanor. Hawke smiled softly to herself in that moment and one hand played with a lock of the other woman's hair absently.

She was pulled from her reverie when the tavern's door opened to reveal more of their little group: Fenris and Aveline this time. The rest were expected to arrive later in the evening if they were free. The presence of the captain of the guard was met with a momentary wary silence from all the patrons but when Hawke called her and Fenris over, the chatter resumed as per the norm. Merrill immediately leapt up to start distributing flowers, surprising the newcomers with the simple gifts. Once Aveline had her turn, she made no effort to hide her laughter at the sight of Isabela wearing the circlet of little daisies. The usual banter and customary name-calling ensued and Hawke just watched with amusement.

'I think it suits you,' she finally whispered into the pirate's ear once Aveline had diverted her attention elsewhere. Isabela just turned in her seat to face the woman behind her and practically snorted.

'Hawke, you are full of shit,' she stated. Hawke gave her that goofy grin again and shrugged.

'I thought it was worth a shot.' Isabela pinned Hawke with a look that said she was clearly unimpressed.

'And here I thought you could do better than that,' she said with a small pout. The pirate was about to huff with feigned disappointment when Hawke pressed a finger to her lips to cut her off.

'Not in front of the others,' the Champion practically purred. She leaned down so that pale skin brushed against dark and murmured: 'I can do so much better later once we get out of here.'

'That's more like it,' Isabela replied with an approving smile. Her nose brushed against Hawke's cheek and the warrior almost thought the pirate was about to kiss her but instead what she got was a light but deliberately teasing nip from the other woman on her lower lip. _Oh, she is going to pay for that later_, Hawke thought happily. Isabela's attention was now focused on the rest of the table, as others had begun to arrive and she obviously could not wait to start cheating them out of their coin. Hawke waved for Norah to bring them a round of drinks and leaned more comfortably against her pirate's chair once again, observing the others around the table with a content expression. For once, her day had gone smoothly. No near-death experiences, no fights, no problems strangers wanted her to solve… It was not a routine Hawke ever expected she would get used to but once in awhile it was nice. It was needed. She was happy just to watch her friends bicker and throw accusations of a rigged game at the beautiful woman she would later return home with for the night. The Champion silently wondered what it would be like if things had always been that way.

Hawke sighed lightly. If things had always been so simple, she reckoned she would never have met any of the people with her now. So she decided not to dwell on those thoughts, adjusted her flower crown on her head, and pulled up a chair of her own so she could be dealt into a game she knew she would lose by the end of the night. _That_ much was routine.

Fin.

**Author's Note: **This is just a silly fic that was prompted by my decision to change my Tumblr icon to a certain pirate looking quite confused as to why there was a flower crown on her head. I only finished DA2 for the first time not even 48 hours ago, so while I hope there are none, inaccuracies may have been present. That being said, I'm very sorry if there were. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed a fluffy little fic featuring a small handful of the DA2 cast. There was no set timeline but an assumption of late Act III would be most accurate. _Reviews are greatly appreciated._


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